Posted inN2 Grammar

Mastering 抜く (nuku): Japanese Grammar for Perseverance and Completion (JLPT N2)

Posted inN2 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

To do something completely or thoroughly; to see something through to the very end, often implying significant effort, difficulty, or perseverance.

🎯 Primary Function

To indicate that an action has been carried out to its absolute completion, or that one has successfully endured a difficult situation until its resolution. It conveys a strong sense of accomplishment, determination, or endurance.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (ます-stem) + 抜く (ぬく)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used in formal reports, academic papers, or official speeches to emphasize the thorough completion of a project or sustained effort over time.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in everyday conversation when discussing personal achievements, finishing challenging tasks, or overcoming difficulties.

✍️ Written Language

Frequently appears in various written materials such as novels, essays, news articles, and business reports.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Widely used in daily conversations, interviews, and public speaking to express determination and successful completion.

💡 Common Applications

Completing a difficult or lengthy task.
Used when an action requires significant effort, time, or dedication and is brought to a full conclusion, implying a sense of achievement.
Example: この長編小説を最後まで読み抜いた。 (Kono chouhen shousetsu wo saigo made yominukita.) – I read this long novel all the way to the end.
Enduring through hardship or a tough situation.
Expresses the act of persevering through a challenging period, difficulty, or ordeal until its successful resolution or one’s survival.
Example: 彼は病気の苦しみを生き抜いた。 (Kare wa byouki no kurushimi wo ikinukita.) – He lived through the suffering of his illness.
Doing something thoroughly or exhaustively.
Implies an action performed without omission, to its fullest extent, or with extreme meticulousness, leaving no stone unturned.
Example: 問題の原因を徹底的に調べ抜いた。 (Mondai no gen’in wo tetteiteki ni shirabenukita.) – I thoroughly investigated the cause of the problem.
📊
Frequency
Moderately frequent for advanced learners, particularly when expressing determination, perseverance, and the successful completion of challenging endeavors.
🎚️
Difficulty
Moderate for JLPT N2 learners. The main challenge lies in understanding the specific nuance of “completion with effort/through to the end” and distinguishing it from similar grammar points.
Example Sentences
このプロジェクトは困難だったが、全員で協力してやり抜いた。
This project was difficult, but we all cooperated and saw it through to the end.
彼女はどんな逆境も乗り抜く強い精神力を持っている。
She has a strong mental fortitude to get through any adversity.
徹夜でレポートを書き抜いたので、今日はもうへとへとだ。
I pulled an all-nighter to write the report to completion, so I’m completely exhausted today.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Implies overcoming difficulty.
The use of 抜く often carries the nuance that the action was not easy and required significant effort, willpower, or endurance to complete.
Example: このマラソンを走り抜くのは大変だった。 (Kono marason wo hashirinuku no wa taihen datta.) – Running this marathon to the end was difficult.
Sense of accomplishment.
Because it implies overcoming challenges, using 抜く often conveys a feeling of achievement or satisfaction upon completion.
Example: ついに論文を書き抜いて、ほっとした。(Tsui ni ronbun wo kakinukite, hotto shita.) – I finally finished writing my thesis, and I felt relieved.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using 抜く for simple, effortless completion.
✅ Use 終える (oeru) or 済ませる (sumaseru) for simple completion without the nuance of effort or perseverance.
While 抜く means “to complete,” it adds the nuance of doing so through difficulty or to the fullest extent. If the task is easy, these other verbs are more appropriate. For instance, just “reading a book” (本を読む) is fine, or “finishing a book” (本を読み終える) for simple completion.
❌ Confusing its usage with ～きる (kiru).
✅ Understand the subtle differences in nuance (see “Subtle Differences” below).
Both express completion, but 抜く focuses more on the process of perseverance, while きる can imply using something up entirely or doing something to its physical limit.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. The politeness level is determined by the main verb it attaches to and the overall sentence structure (e.g., です/ます form).
Social Situations: Highly applicable in contexts where determination, hard work, and resilience are valued, such as sports, academic pursuits, business projects, or personal growth narratives.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations in its usage or meaning.

🔍 Subtle Differences

～抜く (nuku) vs. ～きる (kiru)
While both express completion, ～抜く emphasizes perseverance through difficulty or seeing a long process to the end. ～きる emphasizes completing something thoroughly, to its limit, or using it up completely. It can also imply impossibility or extreme action (e.g., 疲れ切る – to be completely exhausted).
When to use: Use ～抜く when the focus is on enduring, overcoming, or persevering until a task is finished or a period is lived through. Use ～きる when the focus is on consuming/using everything, doing something perfectly/exhaustively, or reaching a limit.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

抜く (ぬく) is a regular Godan verb (五段活用動詞). It attaches to the ます-stem of other verbs. Example Conjugation of 抜く itself: – Present: 抜く (nuku) – Past: 抜いた (nuita) – Negative: 抜かない (nukanai) – ます form: 抜きます (nukimasu)

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The “u” sound in 抜く can sometimes be devoiced, especially in casual speech, making it sound closer to “nuk” (similar to the “u” in “desu”). Ensure the preceding verb’s ます-stem is pronounced clearly before 抜く.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of the kanji 抜 (ぬく) meaning “to pull out” or “to extract.” Visualize “pulling through” a difficult situation or “extracting” yourself from a long task after completing it. It’s like pulling something out until it’s completely gone or finished.

Vocabulary List
長編小説
chouhen shousetsu
long novel
最後まで
saigo made
to the very end
読む
yomu
to read
プロジェクト
purojekuto
project
困難
konnan
difficulty
協力する
kyouryoku suru
to cooperate
逆境
adversity
Kanji List
抜
ぬ・く
pull out, extract, omit, persevere
長
なが・い、ちょう
long, chief
編
へん、あ・む
compile, edit, volume
小
ちい・さい、しょう
small
説
せつ
theory, explanation, rumour
最
もっと・も、さい
utmost, most, extreme
後
あと、のち、うし・ろ、ご、こう
after, behind, later
読
よ・む、どく
read
困
こま・る、こん
be troubled, be in difficulty
難
むずか・しい、なん
difficult, hardship
全
すべ・て、ぜん
all, whole
Practice Exercises
彼女はどんな辛いことも最後まで（　　　）強い人だ。
A. 食べ抜く
B. 走り抜く
C. 乗り抜く
D. 忘れ抜く
この難しいプロジェクトを（　　　）のは、彼しかいないだろう。
A. やり抜く
B. 読み抜く
C. 描き抜く
D. 食べ抜く
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